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Dictionaries & Thesauri

Definitions, Etymologies, Synonyms & Antonyms, and More

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Dictionaries - Look up words, word usage, etymologies
Thesaurus - Find synonyms and antonyms

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Abbreviations & Acronyms
Games & Puzzles
Languages & Linguistics
Name Dictionaries - Meanings & Origins of Names
Phrases, Sayings, Idioms
Rhyming Dictionaries - Find rhymes for words

Abbreviations and Acronyms

Abbreviations Used in the Oxford English Dictionary
Abbreviations.com
Acronymfinder: You can enter the exact acronym, "begins with" or a key word from the acronym.
Domain Suffixes: Common United States Domain Suffixes and Domain Suffixes of Countries Around the World.
Emoji Dictionary: Also includes the history and origin of the emoji. From Dictionary.com.
GovSpeak: A Guide to U.S. Government Acronyms and Abbreviations: "The most current, extensive and fully-linked listing of U.S. government agency, office, program and publication acronyms." From UC San Diego Library.
Netlingo: A list of acronymns and text messaging shorthand.
Official USPS Abbreviations (PDF): Post office abbreviations. The Appendices of USPS Publication 28 includes state abbreviations, street suffixes, and "secondary unit designators." From United States Postal Service (USPS).
SlangIt.com: Chat acronyms, texting abbreviations, and emoticons (smileys). Search or browse.
Stock Market: Company Stock Symbols: Look up companies and their stock symbols.

Dictionaries - Words, Their Meanings, Usage, Etymology

Cambridge Dictionaries Online

Search several different dictionaries including the Advanced Learner's Dictionary, American English, and the International Dictionary of Idioms. Advanced Learners Dictionary includes audio pronunciations for British and American English.

Collins Dictionaries

English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. Search or browse dictionary entries alphabetically. Also includes an English for Learners dictionary, word games, a New Words section, a Thesaurus, and more.

Dictionary.com

Includes audio pronunciations of words and a thesaurus.

Internet Anagram Server

"An anagram is a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of another word or phrase. Example: The word lemon is an anagram of melon."

Learner's Dictionary: American English Dictionary for ESL, EFL, and TOEFL Students

From Merriam-Webster. Includes audio pronunciations of words.

Lexico (formerly Oxford Dictionaries)

"Lexico.com is a new collaboration between Dictionary.com and Oxford University Press (OUP) to help users worldwide with everyday language challenges. Lexico is powered by Oxford's free English and Spanish dictionaries and features multi-language dictionary, thesaurus, and translation content."

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Dictionary and Thesaurus. Includes audio pronunciations of words.

Merriam-Webster Visual Dictionary

Browse by theme or image or search for words and see illustrations.

OneLook Dictionaries

Query more than 500 general and specialized dictionaries at once. Links to all of them organized by topic.

See also their Reverse Dictionary, which lets you discover related words and concepts.

Online Etymology Dictionary

Word origins (etymologies). Search or browse words, word parts. Meanings are drawn from multiple etymological dictionaries.

Wordnik

"Our goal is to show you as much information as possible, as fast as we can find it, for every word in English, and to give you a place where you can make your own opinions about words known."

Visuwords

An online graphical dictionary. Enter a word and it will give you synonyms, verbs, parts of speech, adverbs, adjectives and more.

Visual Dictionary

Browse by category or type in an object. An image is displayed with all its parts labeled using English or French terms.

World Book Encyclopedia

Includes a dictionary of 250,000 entries available to Middletown Thrall Library card holders.

Your Dictionary

More than just a site of standard English dictionaries and thesauruses, this site also includes over 200 foreign language dictionaries and translator programs as well as specialized dictionaries for professional vocabularies like medicine, business, and computer science.

Specialty Dictionaries: Topics include everything from Accounting to Wine. From YourDictionary.com.

Games & Puzzles

Crossword Solver: From Dictionary.com.
OneAcross: Enter a clue and its pattern.
Scrabble Word Finder: From Merriam-Webster.
Wordfinder

Phrases, Sayings, Idioms

Library Catalog Topics

Web Resources

Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable: "Giving the derivation, source, or origin of common phrases, allusions, and words that have a tale to tell."
Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE): From the University of Wisconsin-Madison. You can browse 100 entries from DARE at this link. Middletown Thrall Library provides access to the complete print editionof DARE (volumes 1 - 5) in our Reference collection (at REF 427.973 DIC).
English Idioms and Idiomatic Expressions: Search or browse entries.
The Phrase Finder: "The meanings and origins of over 1,200 English sayings, phrases and idioms."
Quotations: Popular and historic phrases and quotes.

Rhyming Dictionaries - Find Rhymes for Words

Rhymer: A Free Online Rhyming Dictionary: After entering the word to rhyme you can choose end rhymes, last syllable rhymes, double rhymes, beginning rhymes, and first syllable rhymes. Includes: End Rhymes, Last Syllable Rhymes, Double Rhymes, Triple Rhymes, Beginning Rhymes, First Syllable Rhymes.
Rhymes.net: Browse or search.
RhymeZone: Type in a word to find its rhymes, synonyms, definitions and more.

Thesaurus / Thesauri - Find Synonyms & Antonyms

Fact Monster Thesaurus
Merriam-Webster Online: Thesaurus
Roget's International Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases: Includes Roget's II: The New Thesaurus and Roget's International Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases. Provided by Bartleby.com.
Synonym.com: Type in a word to find its synonym, antonym or definition.
Thesaurus.com: Read carefully to avoid advertisements. The search box is currently at the very top of the page, and all advertisements are marked as such. See also their alphabetical index.
WordNet: This database from Princeton University can be used simply as a thesaurus or to do lexical research. Click on "Use Word Net Online" to do a search.
Your Dictionary: More than just a site of standard English dictionaries and thesauruses, this site also includes over 200 foreign language dictionaries and translator programs as well as specialized dictionaries for professional vocabularies like medicine, business, and computer science.